IGDA slams WAR for omitting credits

Mythic, developer of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, has come under fire for not crediting all members of staff who worked on the game.

Shacknews revealed last week that Mythic would not credit everyone who has ever helped develop the game, choosing to name current staff members only.

The IGDA (International Game Developers Association) has responded with a statement in its newsletter. Chairperson Jen MacLean - quoted by Shacknews once again - said it was"disrespectful of the effort of the game developers who worked on the game, and misleads both consumers and game industry peers".

Mythic chief Mark Jacobs defended the decision to MTV Multiplayer, saying, "I'll worry more about the people who are with me right now, than those who decided that they didn't like the company or they wanted to take a better job somewhere else.

"I think the credits belong to the people who have been working on this game non-stop, whether they've been with us for a week or whether they've been with us for three years."

Jacobs also pointed out that the shifting staffing needs of online games, with huge teams that change over time, made comprehensive credits lists difficult to compile. "Show me one MMO that has been up for seven years that has kept the credits for every single person who's worked on the game as long as they've had a large team," he said.

"If we set that precedent right now... The credits will be 20 pages long within a couple of years. And nobody does that."

The IGDA has recommended guidelines for crediting staff, but these are recommended only. There is currently no industry-wide standard for crediting game development staff. Last year, Rockstar caused a stir by leaving its Vienna team out of the credits for Manhunt 2.